London Transport Museum, Acton 29/08/09.

[Tankman]

Got a chance to have a tour of the generally closed LT collection at Acton.
The collection has about 2 Open days per year, (This was not one of those days) but other than this is normally closed to the public.

The Museum Depot is located in Acton, West London, and was opened in October 1999. The depot holds the majority of the Museum's collections which are not on display in the main museum in Covent Garden.

It is the base for the museum's curators and conservators, and is used for the display of items too large to be accommodated in the main facility.

Restoration of the ("Moving Tube Heritage") 1938 Bakerloo line train that is currently doing Tours of the LT Network was restored here, along with the Q-stock, (District/Metropolitan Lines) which they hope to put back into running order in due course at a cost of £1.6 million

The depot provides 6,000 square metres of storage space in secure, environmentally controlled conditions and houses over 370,000 items of all types, including many original works of art used for the Museum's collections of posters, signs, models, photographs, engineering drawings and uniforms.

The building has both road access and a rail connection to the London Underground network, which allows the storage and display of significant numbers of buses, trams, trolleybuses, Underground rolling stock and other vehicles.



The sole surviving Motor Coach of one of the first electric trains to run on the Underground. It was found in Shoeburyness about 3 years ago, and was being used as a chicken house



Most of the old signs get sent here, the Museum has a fantastic hidden collection.



The depot is kept in a "clean air" environment with air filtration systems and heating permanently on to help preserve the exhibits. The Red Q-Stock suffered at the hands of Graff Artists when left outside the depot one night





How many of you remember these AD's of the 70's & 80's. Clerical Staff, starting salary £17.00 per week



Battery operated Engineer's Loco, often seen late at night if you were taking the last train home



Lovely preserved buses from LT's History, all in working order



Don't see this sign no more! A bygone Era! on some preserved 1938 stock.

More pics here:

http://s260.photobucket.com/albums/i...TON/?start=all

Thanks for looking

[Blober]

Fair play this looks like a fun way to spend an evening

[S8]

You still get the no smoking sign on some of the Victoria Line stock

[BA]

Like the buses